Jersey Flatwater Paddling

Paddle the Shark River starting at L Street Beach in Belmar, NJ. (Note: There are NO SHARKS and it is much more like a small bay than a river. We won't be going near the ocean).

IMPORTANT: There are two separate parts to this event.

Part A involves a one hour session (10:00 AM – 11:00 AM) for paddleboard beginners to get some tips to improve their skills and then take a short trip to the cove by Maclearie Park (weather permitting). If you are renting, one hour will be sufficient unless you want to continue practicing on your own. Start time of any rental should be 10:00 AM. (Please note: If you have never used a paddleboard before, I strongly recommend scheduling a separate session with a company that gives professional lessons before trying to join up with a group of paddlers so you already have the basic skills covered.)

Part B is for experienced paddleboarders and kayakers and it would take about 2 hours (11:00 AM – 1:00 PM) to complete a tour of the area. We will be starting at L Street Beach and making our way over to Memorial Park and back. It will be around 3 miles of paddling in total. Important: This Part B event is not recommended for anyone that is relatively new to paddling and/or a beginner that just participated in Part A. You don’t need to be an expert but we will be paddling continually for 30-40 minutes at a time between rest breaks so you should have some experience with paddling with this kind of duration beforehand.
Summary: Part A is for Beginners from 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM. Part B is for experienced paddlers from 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. I don’t envision that anybody would participate in both parts. Please send me a comment via the Meetup Chat feature to alert me to the specific part that you are intending to participate in at the event.

Renters: See this link for rental rates at the location: endlessbelmar
https://endlesssupcompany.com/
Note: I have no affiliation with the rental service. They have kayaks and paddleboards.

1. Posted time (9:30 AM) is the meet time for Part A so we can chat before getting started with Part A. Part B starts promptly at 11:00 and will end around 1:00 PM.
2. Keep notifications on for any pertaining updates or changes such as weather, water, or traffic conditions day of and hours leading up to the event.
3. SAFETY: You must have a PFD and whistle on board your vessel at all times as per state/ federal laws; however you are not required to wear it May 1- October 31.
4. If you plan to leave the group at any time during the trip, (ie turn back early, or need a break) please let someone know, ie call or whistle to get someone’s attention.
5. Inflatable kayaks such as Intex are not recommended for safety reasons. They are typically not meant for the distances this trip entails. iSUPs are ok but be prepared to kneel if the winds are significant.
6. ALL PADDLE ACTIVITIES ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is an all-volunteer event and you are responsible for ensuring your own safety.
7. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please change your RSVP ASAP so we know not to expect you.
   See you on the water!

Paddle at Wawayanda Lake inside the Wawayanda State Park in Vernon, NJ. The plan would be to take about 2 hours to complete a tour of the lake starting at the Lake Wawayanda Boat Launch which is also the rental location. It will be approximately 3 miles of paddling in total.

BEWARE OF GPS DIRECTIONS THAT HAVE YOU ENTERING THE PARK FROM THE WEST (via Canistear Rd). That entrance is blocked by the state park. You can only enter the park from the east (via Warwick Turnpike). Typically I take Greenwood Lake Turnpike to Warwick Turnpike to enter the East gate when coming from Ringwood.

IMPORTANT: This event is not recommended for anyone that is brand new to paddling. You don’t need to be an expert by any means but we will be paddling continually for 30 minutes at a time between rest breaks so you should have some experience with paddling for this duration and distance.
NOTE: This location is a NJ State Park. As such, there is an admission fee (NJ resident: $5 per vehicle, other states: $10 per vehicle. If you are a NJ senior citizen, then you can get free admission with a Senior Pass.)

Rentals at this location are handled by Flatwater Paddle Co.
They have both kayaks and paddleboards. Suggest a two hour rental starting at 10:00 AM. I have no affiliation with the rental company.

1. Posted time is the meet time (9:30 AM). Please be ready to leave the launch site within a half hour after the posted meet time so we can start on-time (10:00 AM).
2. Keep notifications on for any pertaining updates or changes such as weather, water, or traffic conditions day of and hours leading up to the event. READ THE LATEST COMMENTS FOR THE EVENT PRIOR TO THE EVENT!
3. SAFETY: You must have a PFD and whistle on board your vessel at all times as per state/ federal laws; however you are not required to wear it May 1- October 31.
4. If you plan to leave the group at any time during the trip, (ie turn back early, or need a break) please let someone know, ie call or whistle to get someone’s attention.
5. Inflatable kayaks such as Intex are not recommended for safety reasons. They are typically not meant for the distances this trip entails. iSUPs are ok but be prepared to kneel when facing the wind.
6. ALL PADDLE ACTIVITIES ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is an all-volunteer event and you are responsible for your own safety.
7. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please change your RSVP ASAP so we know not to expect you.

See you on the water!

Paddle the Monksville Reservoir in Ringwood, NJ. The plan would be to take about 2 hours to complete a tour of the reservoir starting at the South Public Boat Launch. We will not be visiting the sunken forest on this particular trip. It will be around 3-4 miles of paddling in total. IMPORTANT: This event is not recommended for anyone that is new to paddling. You don’t need to be an expert by any means but we will be paddling continually for 30 minutes at a time between rest breaks so you should have some experience with paddling for this duration and distance. NOTE: There are posted signs indicating NO SWIMMING. I will not be including swim breaks as part of the tour. If swimming is your goal, this is not the right event for you.
Rentals at this location are handled by Flatwater Paddle Co. They are located at the South Public Boat Launch. They have both kayaks and paddleboards. Suggest a two hour rental starting at 2:00 PM. I have no affiliation with the rental company.

1. Posted time is the meet time (1:30 PM). Please be ready to leave the launch site within a half hour after the posted meet time so we can start on-time (2:00 PM).
2. Keep notifications on for any pertaining updates or changes such as weather, water, or traffic conditions on the day of and hours leading up to the event. Check the comments for the event for more information prior to the date of the event.
3. SAFETY: You must have a PFD and whistle on board your vessel at all times as per state/ federal laws; however you are not required to wear it May 1- October 31.
4. If you plan to leave the group at any time during the trip, (ie turn back early, or need a break) please let someone know, ie call or whistle to get someone’s attention.
5. Inflatable kayaks such as Intex are not recommended for safety reasons. They are typically not meant for the distances this trip entails. iSUPs are ok but be prepared to kneel when facing the wind.
6. ALL PADDLE ACTIVITIES ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is an all-volunteer event and you are responsible for your own safety.
7. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please change your RSVP ASAP so we know not to expect you.

See you on the water!

Join a sunset paddle at the Belmar Shark River Inlet starting at L Street Bay Beach in Belmar, NJ. (Note: There are NO SHARKS and it is more of a small bay than a river. We won’t be going anywhere near the ocean).

The plan would be to arrive at the L Street Beach around 6:30 PM for prep, inflatation, etc and start paddling promptly at 7:00 PM. It will take us around 20 minutes to paddle to our destination for viewing the sunset. Once we arrive at that spot, then you would have 15-20 minutes to explore the vicinity (or just relax) before we re-assemble for the sunset. Once the sun sets (about 8:00 PM), we will paddle together expeditiously to get back to the L Street beach while we still have some twilight remaining. We should be back on the beach by 8:15 PM with about 15 minutes of twilight remaining to get gear over to your vehicle. There is some lighting in the parking lot area but it is limited so we don’t want to linger in the water once the sunset has occurred. This event is not recommended for anyone that is brand new to paddling. Also, you won’t be able to get rentals for this event as they close the rental place before sunset.

1. Posted time (6:30 PM) is the meet time. Paddling starts promptly at 7:00 PM and will be back on the beach around 8:15 PM.
2. Keep notifications on for any pertaining updates or changes such as weather, water, or traffic conditions day of and hours leading up to the event.
3. SAFETY: You must have a PFD on board your vessel at all times as per state/ federal laws; however you are not required to wear it May 1- October 31. Bring a light if you have one but not required as we are getting back during the twilight period. If you are nervous about paddling in the twilight, you can take the shortcut over to Maclearie Park and exit the water there. Contact me if you need more info on this option.
4. If you plan to leave the group at any time during the trip, (ie turn back early, or need a break) please let someone know, ie call or whistle to get someone’s attention.
5. I will cancel this event if the weather is not good for obvious reasons. Who wants to do a sunset paddle with no sunset to view?
6. ALL PADDLE ACTIVITIES ARE AT YOUR OWN RISK. This is an all-volunteer event and you are responsible for ensuring your own safety.
7. If your plans change and you cannot attend, please change your RSVP ASAP so we know not to expect you.

See you on the water!